The Afterlife of the Party

by Marlene Perez

  “Just water, thanks,” I said. He didn’t ask Vaughn what he wanted, so I added, “Water for my boyfriend here, too, please.”

  Armando’s fingertips touched mine when he handed me our bottles. There was blood embedded in his nails, and I repressed the need to wash my hands. “You smell delicious,” he said, which I ignored.

  Travis and Skyler emerged from one of the bedrooms. Her eyes were glassy, and there was a fresh bite mark on the upper part of her chest, which I could see, since Travis hadn’t bothered to pull her top up.

  I waited until Travis let go of Skyler, and then, when I thought no one was watching, I pulled her top back on.

  When I looked up, Armando was staring at me.

  “Vaughn, when are you going to let me take a bite out of your delicious girlfriend?” Armando asked, like I should be flattered.

  “How about never?” Vaughn replied.

  Ozzie and Travis chuckled like it was the funniest thing Vaughn had ever said. “Armando can be very convincing,” Ozzie said. “And he doesn’t mind sharing.”

  “Well, I do,” Vaughn said firmly. He had been right about posing as a couple to protect each other from The Drainers and their hangers-on.

  Vaughn took my hand and led me to one of the large sofas in the entertainment area. He sat and then pulled me onto his lap. I perched there awkwardly until Armando wandered over, and then I wrapped my arms around Vaughn and draped myself all over him.

  I shivered when Armando’s eyes met mine. “I think your girlfriend’s cold,” he said to Vaughn. “Want me to warm her up for you?”

  Instead of answering him, Vaughn nuzzled my neck and whispered, “Remember what we talked about.”

  “You want to kiss me?” I asked in a whisper.

  “Is that okay?”

  “Yes.” The word was barely out of my mouth before his lips were on mine. His arms pulled me tight against his body. As the kiss deepened, I forgot about the vampires who were watching, forgot that it was all for show, forgot everything except for the feel of Vaughn’s body next to mine.

  He kissed me breathless. We broke apart, gulping air, but seconds later, Vaughn went back in. This kiss went on until one of the guys let out a long whistle. “Get it!”

  Even though I was blushing, I stayed on Vaughn’s lap.

  “I want a kiss,” Travis said. “How about it, Tiffany?”

  “No way,” Vaughn said in a growl.

  Travis growled back, low and menacingly. He looked like he would attack Vaughn just for the fun of it.

  “Yeah, no way am I kissing you,” I said. “I saw that bat video. I know where your mouth’s been.”

  The guys in the band laughed, and the tension left the room, but Travis’s eyes followed me on and off for the rest of the night.

  …

  Between practices and gigs, Vaughn was developing hard calluses on his hands. The Drainers had performances scheduled back to back. We didn’t want to rouse their suspicions, so he’d made it to every gig.

  “We’re lucky you don’t have to stay on the tour bus with them,” I said.

  Vaughn made a face. “You’re lucky, too. That place is a pit.”

  Being a vampire-band groupie was nowhere near as fun as I’d imagined it would be. In other words, even more terrible than expected.

  The guys talked about themselves. A lot. They reeked like a toxic waste dump simmering in the California sun. And their groupies were mean, probably anemic, and definitely fought constantly among themselves. Still, the girls didn’t deserve the treatment the band gave them—especially Travis.

  After tonight’s performance, the venue had mostly emptied out, except for the band and a few chosen groupies, when Travis and Armando started to argue.

  “Mine!” Travis growled, and then he and Armando were rolling around onstage, punching each other as they went. They knocked over a mic stand but kept going, and nobody tried to stop them. Gary scurried around loading the equipment and didn’t even look over at the two fighting band members.

  Vaughn and I watched them from the table where we sat with Natasha, Skyler, and Alice, who’d become Armando’s new favorite.

  Finally, the guys stopped fighting and lay on the stage next to each other, panting. One of them would occasionally kick the other one, but they seemed to be cooling off.

  “Why do vampires have to be so dramatic?” I said, yawning. “Anyway, it’s past my bedtime.”

  The guys had gotten to their feet, and it looked like the show was over. “Were they fighting over a girl?” Vaughn asked.

  Natasha snorted. “They’d never,” she said. “There are too many of us.”

  “Take them off,” Travis suddenly screeched.

  “You want them so bad?” Armando asked.

  “Yes,” Travis said. “They’re my favorite pair.”

  “Fine.” Armando’s hands went to his waist, and then he shucked off his black leather pants and threw them at Travis, which left Armando standing there in tight boxer briefs and a smile.

  Vaughn caught me looking and clapped his hands over my eyes. Objectively, Armando was gorgeous, with long-lashed brown eyes, a square jawline, and a wiry yet muscular body. But he was a creep, and all the pretty in the world couldn’t make up for that.

  “They’re fighting over pants?” I choked out, trying not to giggle.

  “But they’re leather,” Vaughn mocked, quoting an old movie we’d watched a few months ago.

  To my surprise, Skyler started to giggle. The dullness in her eyes cleared. “Remember that time my stepmother got into a fight at a Black Friday sale at La Perla?”

  I smiled at her, and for a second, it was like we’d never become entangled with the vampires.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was still so hot in the bar that my dress was sticking to me. I went outside for some fresh air and spotted the tour bus. There was no one around—not even Gary, who usually spent most of the performances guarding the bus. I wondered what he was guarding. It wasn’t like The Drainers would complain if a groupie or ten snuck onto the bus.

  Impulsively, I decided to do just that and snoop around. If Gary caught me, I’d tell him I was looking for “Johnny Divine” and hope that he wouldn’t mention it to the other guys.

  The bus smelled only slightly less disgusting than I’d expected.

  I looked around, but I couldn’t figure out what Gary had been guarding the last few nights during the gigs. I knew he stood watch over the band while they slept during the day, but they were up most of the night. Two coffins were out and open along the wall. Gary obviously thought the guys would be tuckered out tonight, because two of the coffins were already pulled from the wall recesses and ready for occupancy.

  Travis probably stored his coffin in the bedroom in the back. I’d bet the sleek burnished mahogany number was Armando’s and the one with all the band stickers was Ozzie’s.

  There were warehouse-size tubs of licorice and some goblets with dried flecks of something I didn’t want to think about too closely, but nothing really stood out.

  I was getting ready to leave when I heard a muffled sound. I froze and listened. It came again, louder this time. A cry for help.

  I’d looked everywhere, except in a closet in the kitchen area that I’d assumed contained cleaning supplies that never left the shelf.

  I was running out of time before the band got here, but something made me open the door. A terrified girl, her hands and feet bound and her mouth duct-taped, looked up at me.

  I heard voices and knew I had to go, but I couldn’t leave her.

  She barely had room to move at all, and the closet was dark and smelly. The knots were so tight that I couldn’t undo them. When my fangs extended, she started to thrash.

  “Please,” I said. “I want to help, but you have to hold still.” I cut the ropes and then started to
remove the tape. “This is going to hurt. I’m sorry.”

  She fell over trying to get away from me. I didn’t try to touch her, even though I didn’t like leaving her on the dirty floor of the bus.

  “I want to help you. What’s your name?” I asked.

  “It’s Ruth,” she said. Her throat sounded sore. She’d probably spent some time screaming.

  “How long have you been here?”

  “A couple of days, I think,” she replied. “I heard them. They were going to h-hunt me.”

  “Hunt you? Like for sport?”

  She nodded. “The blond singer said he was bored, and that creepy roadie promised they’d take me to the woods and the band could hunt me.” She paused, her throat working, then added, “They weren’t going to let me go, were they?”

  My stomach roiled, but I told her the truth. “No, they weren’t.”

  Her shoulders shook from her sobs. I put an arm around her and helped her to her feet.

  “Can you walk?” I asked. “We have to get you out of here.”

  We’d made it down the bus stairs when I heard footsteps. “Ruth, roll under the bus,” I whispered. “Now!” Thankfully, she listened to me and was out of my sight in a flash.

  “What are you doing?” Gary asked me.

  “None of your business, Rennie,” I said, playing the part of the uppity girlfriend. “But if you must know, I’m waiting for my boyfriend. The drummer, remember?”

  “They’re still finishing packing up,” he replied. “Why don’t you go wait inside?”

  I did as he asked, but I couldn’t help but look back. Gary stood in front of the bus, watching me.

  I wasn’t sure if Ruth was still under the bus or if she’d managed to get away, but the next day, there was a small article about an unnamed girl wandering Diablo, not remembering what happened to her—but the girl had bite marks on her neck and rope burns on her wrists.

  Ruth had made it.

  More girls always came, but I had helped one person, and tonight, that was enough.

  …

  We’d been cooped up in the hotel room for too long, so while The Drainers were tucked away in their coffins, Vaughn and I decided to enjoy some quality daylight.

  “I need lavender oil and a few other things,” I said. We’d been in such a rush to go after Skyler that I hadn’t thought to bring anything I needed for a few of the spells.

  “Think we should bother with our disguises?” he asked.

  “I can’t stand another minute of that wig,” I replied. “It itches. We can buy some big hats at one of the souvenir shops.”

  After our hat purchases, I spotted an aromatherapy shop, and we found several of the items on my list.

  Vaughn, who had insisted on paying for my supplies, had just tucked his wallet away when I spotted Gary walking into the store.

  I grabbed Vaughn’s hands and tugged him toward the back of the store. “Hurry,” I hissed, but Gary headed our way.

  Had he recognized us, or was he just browsing?

  There was a door near the back that was either a bathroom or a supply closet. We hurried inside and closed the door. Clearly a supply closet.

  Once we were out of sight, Vaughn said, “That was close.”

  Silence descended, and you could have cut the awkward with a knife.

  I figured I should make conversation. Because if I didn’t, my mind would start to think up all the other ways we could spend some time.

  “You, uh… You never said why you and Ashley broke up,” I started. Segue Girl, I was not.

  He didn’t answer my question. Instead, he asked one of his own. “Why did you and College Boy break up?”

  The question threw me for a minute, but then I realized he was talking about the guy I didn’t like to talk about. Or think of.

  “Do you mean Oliver?” I said. “We went on one date.”

  “Ashley said that you and College Boy were serious,” he countered.

  “Ashley and I aren’t friends,” I said bluntly. “Why would you think she knew anything about my love life?”

  “She said serious,” he said. His eyes didn’t meet mine, though, and there was a flush on his cheeks like he was embarrassed. “You know…” he added.

  “No, I don’t know,” I said. I scowled at him. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”

  “Ashley said that you and that guy had sex,” he blurted out.

  Ashley, the Queen of Passive-Aggressive Land, had lied to Vaughn. About me.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “And you just took her word for it? Didn’t ask me?” I ran my fingers through my hair, wishing I could wrap them around her delicate neck and squeeze.

  Or maybe around Vaughn’s for listening to her.

  “First of all, it’s none of Ashley’s business who I sleep with,” I said. “Or yours.”

  He flinched at my harsh tone. “I didn’t think she’d have any reason to lie,” he said.

  “You didn’t wonder how Ashley knew this particular bit of information about my sexual history?” My voice was getting louder, even though we were supposed to be quiet in the closet. “Or why she felt the need to share such a personal tidbit with you?”

  “I—I,” he stuttered. “Tansy, I’m sorry.”

  “Gee, Sheridan, thanks. She told you I hooked up with a guy I barely knew, and you bought it. Didn’t even ask me about it.”

  “But why would she do that?”

  This guy. I couldn’t even deal with him right now. I turned my back on him. “I’m tired—let’s just go back to the hotel. Gary’s probably gone by now.”

  “I want to talk about this,” he said.

  “Oh, now you want to talk?”

  “What did I say that made you so mad?”

  I still couldn’t look at him. I was too angry. “You could have asked me,” I said.

  “No, I couldn’t,” he said.

  “Why not?” I asked. I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Jesus, Tansy,” Vaughn said. “I was jealous.”

  I stared at him, my heart pounding into my throat. “You never acted any different.”

  He sighed. “When Ashley told me about that guy—”

  “Ashley’s a liar,” I said.

  He looked down at his hands. “She manipulated me,” he finally said. “I never thought—”

  “Obviously, you never thought,” I snapped.

  “For the record, I don’t care if you’ve hooked up with someone,” he said. “I just…I just cared that it wasn’t me.”

  What now?

  “Ashley said you’d probably picked up on how I felt about you and were trying to spare my feelings.”

  “How you felt about me?” I repeated, stunned. This whole time, Vaughn liked me. He liked me the way I liked him.

  “I know we’ve just been pretending,” Vaughn started. “But for me…it’s real.”

  My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. “Vaughn…if you liked me so much, why didn’t you ever say anything before now?”

  “Because I knew you didn’t feel that way about me,” he replied.

  “You knew, huh?”

  I’d spent all that time agonizing over his relationship with Ashley, and I’d done it secretly. I hadn’t even talked to Skyler about it because I didn’t want to put her in the middle. I would never have made a move on him when he had a girlfriend, either, but there’d been times when we were both single—like now.

  There was no time like the present. While we were in a supply closet.

  His gorgeous eyes were vulnerable, uncertain, and a little hopeful. “Was she wrong?”

  “She was so, so wrong,” I said.

  The smile he gave me was so sweet that it made my heart hurt. Until Vaughn opened his arms and I went into them.

 
“Vaughn, next time you want to know something, ask me, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said. “I want to talk to you about everything. I should have told you how I feel. Do you want to go out with me?” he asked. “I want to be—real.”

  I took his face in my hands and kissed him. His lips parted, and I snuck my tongue in, a little oral exclamation point to illustrate how much I’d wanted to kiss him.

  We eventually broke apart, both breathing heavily. Vaughn was smiling and a little flushed.

  “Do you believe me?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said, clearing his throat. “Your, ah, enthusiasm convinced me.” I punched him in the arm, but his smile didn’t dim.

  This next bit was bound to be a mood-killer, but I needed to get it out. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t have sex with College Boy.”

  He had a neutral expression, so I kept going.

  “I want my first time to be with someone I care about and trust,” I said. “He didn’t see it the same way and tried to force the issue.”

  Vaughn’s eyebrows were doing something weird. “He tried to force you?”

  I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Vaughn this pissed off before. Grumpy, sure, but right now his face was pure fury.

  I put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay,” I said. “I kneed him in the balls and broke his nose. That changed his mind.” I was grateful for the self-defense lessons the Old Crones Book Club had given Skyler and me. And I was grateful I’d broken that college boy’s nose. “The end.”

  Vaughn finally said, “I want my first time to be with someone I care about and trust, too.”

  Wait, what? I’d assumed that he and Ashley had been visiting the Trojan horse for a long time.

  “You and Ashley didn’t…?”

  He blushed but shook his head.

  I blushed, too. “We really should get back.”

  “You’re right,” he said. “And, Tansy, I’m glad we had this talk about us.”

  “So there’s an us?” I asked. I knew he wanted there to be, but we hadn’t defined the relationship yet.

  He chuckled. “Oh, there’s definitely an us. No more wasting time.”

  Chapter Nineteen